Nightmares and Apologies
by Tanba Josav
Summary: Everyone knows never to disturb Oliver when he is having a nightmare, you just don't want to suffer the consequences. [Warning may contain traces of EvilFelicity!] COMPLETE
1. Nightmare

It started on the island; they _always_ started on the island. He was running through the forest with less than his usual grace; stumbling over roots, bouncing from tree trunk to tree trunk. Always running, knowing that someone was behind him and if he stopped for only a moment he would be dead.

Running uphill the trees opened up to reveal the mercenary camp. This wasn't right, he should be nowhere _near_ there, but dream topography never really made much sense. Pushing himself to his limits he ran down into the camp looking for a weapon, anything would do; a damn stick would be better than nothing. He felt naked without a weapon, for a moment he almost looked down thinking he probably was literally naked, it seemed like that sort of dream. Funny how even though you knew you were asleep it still didn't seem to stop the nightmare from running its course.

With no hood and no bow he felt exposed. How could he protect himself let alone save the city. No, that wasn't right he was on the island, not in Starling City, right? Gasping for breathe Oliver looked to his left where in real life he would have seen the towering mountains that surrounded Lian Yu but instead he could see Starling City's skyline. A low chuckle behind him made his skin crawl as he slowly turned around. He had stopped for too long and had been found.

The Dark Archer was standing ten feet behind him. Oliver noted his casual stance, bow at his side, arrows waiting in his quiver; but Oliver knew from experience how quickly Merlyn could spring from casual to deadly in a moment's notice.

Merlyn had never made an appearance in his island nightmares before; Oliver had never even met the man on the island. Although he guessed it made a change from Slade.

'Merlyn,' Oliver's voice was raspy from running, 'you're dead.'

Merlyn reached up and tapped his chest, in the exact same spot that Oliver kept his voice modulator/comlink in his Arrow costume.

'Guess again.' The voice wasn't Merlyn's; it wasn't even male.

Oliver frowned; the dream landscape of the island drew him to only one of two conclusions. 'Shado? Sara?'

The Dark Archer shook her head, 'You never put me first.' Reaching up she pulled the black hood off to reveal glasses and a blonde ponytail.

Oliver's breath stopped in his throat and a cold shiver ran down his spine. 'Felicity?' he whispered.

'Hello, love,' Felicity Smoak tilted her head to one side and pouted. 'Miss me?'

Oliver took two steps back in shock, 'No.'

Felicity frowned at him. 'No, missed me or no, you didn't?' she shook her head in mock exasperation. 'But the Arrow never misses, didn't I teach you better that that?'

'Teach me?' Oliver frowned at her words, 'You never taught me how to shoot.'

'Well true,' Felicity rested the butt of her bow on the toe of one boot and ran a hand over her forehead. 'But you wouldn't be who you are without me.' She gestured about the camp. 'Who do you think arranged all this?'

'What this?'

Felicity sighed, 'You really aren't that smart are you? _The_ _Gambit_ , this island, Slade, Ivo and his band of merry mercenaries. _Everything_ , Oliver, everything that led to you becoming you.'

Oliver looked about the clearing, his mind racing; this had to be some sort of trick. 'That's not possible.'

Felicity rolled her eyes, 'Good thing you were so cute or I would have done this months ago. I needed a hunting dog, Oliver, someone to do my dirty work. So I looked around the office and found you.'

Oliver latched onto the inconsistencies of Felicity's words. 'We never even met until after I returned.'

Felicity rested her cheek against the top of her bow and sighed. 'Torture really messes with the mind doesn't it? Still, these things had to be done and look; I got my hunting dog out of it.' She straightened upright and began to idly run a gloved finger up and down the bowstring. 'It was so easy,' Felicity spoke quietly, almost as if she was talking to herself, 'give you a list of names, point you in the right direction and –' the _twang_ of a flicked bowstring echoed across the clearing, '– all my problems solved.'

'Names,' Oliver swallowed at Felicity's words, 'my father's notebook –'

'Was mine, it contained my enemies, obstacles in _my_ path, which you dutifully crossed off. All the while there I was sitting in the background; babbling Felicity Smoak, go-to girl for all things computers, quietly controlling everything.' Felicity's fingers stilled on the bow, 'Then you had to go and grow a conscience.'

'I did it for Tommy, I did it for you,' Oliver's hands clenched and unclenched. 'You wanted me to stop killing.'

Felicity laughed a little at Oliver's words, 'Is that what you remember?' Face turning serious she reached over her shoulder and plucked an arrow from the quiver. 'You left me with a problem, though.' Raising her bow Felicity fitted the arrow to the string and began to draw. 'What do you do when a hunting dog refuses to hunt?'

Oliver's entire existence narrowed to one point, it was as if the rest of the world disappeared. He watched as Felicity drew the string back to her cheek, noted how she narrowed one eye and took in a deep breath, then released. Oliver screamed Felicity's name as the arrow took him in the chest. Incredibly he didn't fall, just stood there stunned. Reaching up Oliver touched the shaft sticking out of his body, blood already beginning to run down his chest.

'It's probably for the best,' Felicity shot Oliver a second time, 'I always preferred Diggle over you. There is one last thing you can do for me.' She watched with indifference as Oliver slowly sang to his knees. 'Oliver,' she yelled, ' _wake up!_

~~~ A ~~~

As Oliver's eyes snapped open two things registered simultaneously, one was the cold metal he was lying on and the other was the face of the woman who had just killed him. With a guttural roar Oliver launched himself off the table and grabbed Felicity by the throat. Fingers tightening he pushed her backwards; past her monitors, past the cleared space where he and Diggle would spar, past the area where he maintained his weapons – a spot that Felicity jokingly called the man cave within the man cave. He kept pushing until Felicity's back hit a wall and he could go no further. Faintly he could hear someone yelling, but all his attention was on the woman in front of him.

She had betrayed him, after everything they had gone through together she had still betrayed him. 'Why?' he rasped at her.

' _Oliver!'_

There was that voice again. Oliver flicked his head to one side, trying to ignore it as his fingers tightened some more.

A ringing shot quickly followed by small shards of splintered concrete from the beam above him caused Oliver's head to whip around. Standing in a shooter's stance was John Diggle.

'You missed,' Oliver growled at him.

'That was a warning, but if you don't let go right now,' Dig's finger tightened on the trigger. 'The next shot won't miss.'

Eyes still on Diggle, Oliver slowly brought his breathing under control. It was only then that he noticed the small whimpering noises. Turning slowly he looked at Felicity. Eyes scrunched tight she was pressed hard against the wall, with her hands flat to the surface; almost as if she was trying to push herself _through_ the hard wall to escape him. As the images of his nightmare slowly began to fade and the real world inserted itself Oliver eased his grip. 'Felicity,' he whispered.

Felicity's whimpering stopped. Feeling her swallow, Oliver snatched his hand away from her throat. What had he done? Glancing back at Diggle he saw his friend had relaxed somewhat but still held his gun out and pointing in their general direction.

'We good, man?' Dig asked, finally dropping his hands to his sides but keeping his Glock out, just in case.

Before he could answer Oliver heard Felicity hesitantly speak his name. He turned to see her looking at him, a hurt and confused expression on her face. Felicity reached up to feel her throat.

'Why?' he asked as he reached out to straighten her glasses, only to stop suddenly as Felicity _flinched_ from his hand. Seeing her react like that made his chest tighten as he took two big steps back from her. 'Why would you do that?' His voice rose in anger, 'you know better than to touch me when I'm dreaming.'

'Because you called out her name, Oliver.' Diggle explained.

Felicity nodded in agreement to Dig's words.

'I could have hur –' Oliver noticed for the first time how red Felicity's throat was where his fingers had grabbed her. 'I hurt you,' he corrected himself.

'It's not your fault.' Felicity said.

'Then whose fault is it?!' Oliver snapped back. Shaking his head he began to back away. He couldn't be here right now, he was too dangerous. What was that expression Felicity liked to use when he pissed her off? 'I need some air,' he rasped, turning he brushed past Diggle and practically ran up the stairs to the empty nightclub above.

'Oliver!' Felicity called out after him.

Diggle reached out and grabbed Felicity's arm as she tried to go after Oliver. 'Leave him,' he said, 'he needs to get his head on straight.'

'But –'

'Hey,' Diggle shook Felicity gently, 'give him a minute and let me check you out first, okay?'

Felicity tried to dismiss his concerns. 'I'm fine.'

Diggle flicked the safety back on his Glock and tucked it back in its holster. 'Humour an old man then.'

Felicity turned from staring up the stairs to look at Dig. 'You're not old.'

Diggle smiled, 'Glad to see you've noticed. Now let's have a good look at you.' Gesturing towards better light John let Felicity walk in front of him.

Felicity looked over at her monitors as she stood next to the table that Oliver had been resting on, hard to believe that only a few minutes ago everything had been normal.

Diggle gestured for Felicity to raise her chin so he could assess any damage.

Swallowing Felicity lifted her head and took a deep breath as Dig gently felt her neck.

'Any trouble swallowing?' he asked her, ignoring the small tremors under his fingers. 'No, restrictions to your breathing?'

Felicity stared past Diggle's left ear as she shook her head. 'No, told you I was fine.'

Diggle dropped his hands to rest on Felicity's shoulders. 'Sure you are,' he stared at her intently until Felicity made eye contact with him. 'It wasn't him, it was the nightmare. You know that right? He'd never deliberately hurt you.'

Felicity nodded in agreement, 'I know,' her fingers rose briefly to touch her throat, 'now just try convincing _him_ that.'

Diggle snorted in agreement, 'Yeah our boy does like to wallow in self recrimination. Still,' he looked towards the stairs then back at Felicity. 'Lucky for him we have Super GeekGirl to snap him out of it.'

Felicity looked a little surprised at Diggle's words, 'Super GeekGirl?'

Diggle smiled, 'All that's missing is the cape.'

'Well,' Felicity straightened her glasses, 'I am pretty super.'

'Only the best will do,' Diggle agreed with her. Giving Felicity's shoulders one last squeeze Dig dropped his hands to his sides and the pair of them turned to stare up the stairs.

'Think he's had long enough?' Felicity asked running nervous hands down her dress.

'I think give him any longer and he'll drink half the bar dry,' Diggle noted Felicity's gesture and reached out to rest a hand on her shoulder, once again doing his best not to react when she jumped in shock. 'If you want I could come with you.'

Felicity shook her head and squared her shoulders. 'Better if I go alone,' hesitantly she looked over at Diggle, 'don't you think?'

'Oliver'd probably be more open to talking if I'm not around,' Dig agreed, 'it's a guy thing.'

'Tell me about it,' Felicity complained, as she began to slowly walk towards the stairs. 'Sometimes I think you two only really communicate by hitting each other.'

Glad to hear Feisty Felicity was beginning to return Diggle waited until she was halfway up the stairs before calling out to her. 'If there is any trouble,' Dig tapped his holster when Felicity turned around. 'I'm just a shout away.'

Confused by the gesture Felicity frowned, 'I thought you were supposed to be _Oliver's_ bodyguard?'

'I am,' Diggle smirked, 'I'm just worried you might hit him.'

Dig was rewarded with a big smile from Felicity before she turned and walked out into Verdant.


	2. Apology

'Oliver?'

The empty nightclub was dark and quiet; the only noise was Felicity's footsteps. The thought of crazed assassins or killer ninjas lurking in the shadows began to get on Felicity's nerves and she hurried over to flick on the overhead lights. The chances of anyone being out here in this part of the Glades at this time of night to notice didn't bother her at all. If anyone saw and reported the lights to the police, well technically Oliver still owned the club and Felicity had seen her friend talk his way out of enough situations to feel confident this one wouldn't be any different.

'I know you're in here,' Felicity stopped when she realised that Oliver could just as easily have kept on walking right out the front door and be anywhere now. 'At least I assume you're still here.'

A slight noise from behind the bar made Felicity jump. 'That had better be you!'

A dark shape rose from behind the bar.

'Oliver?' Felicity fell back a few steps before sighing in relief when she recognised who it was. Noting the bottle in his hand she frowned.

'You shouldn't be here,' Oliver growled at her as he walked past Felicity to pull a stool off a nearby table.

'And where should I be?'

Oliver unscrewed the lid of the bottle and looked about for a glass. Realising he had forgotten to bring one with him Oliver slammed the bottle down hard on the table. 'Go home.'

'No, and you've just had stitches so I'm pretty sure you shouldn't be drinking.'

Felicity was referring to the reason why Oliver had been passed out on the table in the first place, after he had met some unexpected resistance with a drug gang and had received a knife slash to his side.

'I'm fine.' Oliver heard Felicity sigh.

'That's what I told Dig,' she said, 'and we both know we're lying.'

Her words caused Oliver to turn around and look at Felicity for the first time. His eyes were drawn instantly to her neck and a brief look of pain crossed his face as he noted the beginning of bruises, before he smoothed his features into his bland indifferent look he adopted for the public.

Felicity frowned at Oliver. 'Don't do that,' she said, referring to his public face, 'not to me.'

Oliver's lips thinned in anger, 'Maybe you'd prefer the Arrow instead.' He snapped out.

Felicity shook her head. 'Oh no, I'd much rather deal with the real Oliver.'

Fingers tightening around the vodka bottle Oliver closed his eyes. 'Maybe I don't know who that is anymore.'

Felicity's retreating footsteps caused Oliver to open his eyes just in time to see her disappear behind the bar.

'Felicity?' The thought that she might just turn and leave him hurt almost as much as the look of fear on her face after he had attacked her downstairs.

Felicity walked back towards Oliver, carrying two glasses in her hands. 'Here,' she handed them to him, 'good thing you're allergic to the idea of painkillers. I changed my mind maybe we could both do with a drink tonight.'

Oliver looked from Felicity to the two glasses in his hands.

'Come on,' Felicity tapped the table with one painted fingernail, 'pour.'

Placing the glasses in front of both of them, Oliver picked up the bottle and poured about a fingers worth of alcohol in Felicity's glass before filling his almost halfway. 'Now, have you ever drunk –' Oliver's eyes widened as Felicity picked up her glass and drank it in one gulp, '– vodka before?'

'Woah!' Felicity slammed the glass on the table, eyes wide in shock. 'I – wow – I can't feel my hands,' Felicity looked over at Oliver, 'why can't I feel my hands? Am I having a heart attack?'

Oliver reached out and grabbed one of Felicity's hands, and began stroking her fingers. 'Just breathe,' he advised.

Nodding Felicity took several deep breaths. 'Okay,' Felicity rasped before clearing her throat and trying again, 'I'm okay. How do you drink this stuff?'

Letting go of her hand a little reluctantly Oliver picked up his glass and swallowed the contents. 'I've had a lot of practice.' Gesturing towards the bottle he nodded towards Felicity's empty glass.

'Nooo,' Felicity placed her hand over her glass. 'I'm good, thanks.'

Smiling slightly Oliver poured a smaller shot of vodka and sipped from it.

'So,' Felicity tapped her fingernails on the tabletop, 'did you know I used to sleepwalk?'

Oliver tilted his head at Felicity.

'I mean I didn't know I was sleepwalking, obviously.' Felicity pushed her glasses up her nose, 'my mom came home early from work one night and found me making a sandwich in the kitchen.' She frowned at the memory. 'I have no idea why, huh, must have been hungry I guess.'

'Felicity,' Oliver interrupted her, 'do you have a point.'

'Yes,' Felicity rested her forearms on the table and leaned towards Oliver. 'People do weird things in their sleep. They make meals, they drive to work, some people have even killed . . . okay maybe that last one was a bad example. What I'm trying to say is what happened tonight, it wasn't your fault.'

Oliver shook his head, 'I wasn't sleepwalking.'

'No, but you had just woken up from a dream. You had no idea what was real and what was not.'

'But I _hurt you_.'

Felicity smiled sadly. 'Oliver since I've known you I've been lied to, bleed all over, kidnapped and scared half out of my mind but you know what?' she waited until Oliver shook his head, 'I'm still here. I'm not some soft squishy girly, girl, okay,' she corrected herself, 'compared to you I am all those things but I'm not going anywhere. You can't get rid of me that easily.'

'I don't want you to go, Felicity,' Oliver said, quietly, 'but when I promised to protect you I never thought it would be from _myself_.'

Felicity stood upright and placed her hands on the table. 'Do you trust me?'

Oliver matched Felicity's pose, 'With my life.' His words were rewarded with a big smile.

'And I trust you with mine.' Felicity grabbed the bottle and topped up Oliver's drink before pouring a tiny amount into her glass. 'I think we should have a toast, don't you?'

Nodding Oliver lifted his glass and stared into it. 'What should we drink to?'

Felicity shrugged, 'You choose.'

Holding out his glass Oliver said, 'To friends.'

Felicity clinked her glass to his, 'with benefits.' When the words that popped out of her mouth registered she was quick to add, 'and by that I mean crime fighting benefits. You know Super GeekGirl to your Arrow. Not the other kind, although that could be kind of fun too.' She hurriedly gulped down her drink, scrunching her face up as the alcohol slid down her throat.

Oliver tried and failed not to laugh. 'Super GeekGirl?'

Felicity tried to wave away Oliver's question. 'Something Dig came up with, just ignore me please.'

Oliver smiled, 'I can never ignore you, Felicity.'

Felicity reached out and tapped Oliver on the chest, 'Correct answer.' Realising she was standing there with her hand resting on the thin black singlet that Oliver wore under his Arrow jacket, Felicity hurriedly dropped her hand. 'Actually there is something you could do for me.'

Oliver graced Felicity with one of his small smiles, that he usually only reserved for her, 'Anything.'

'Okay,' Felicity moved to her right, away from the table and gestured for Oliver to follow.

Curious Oliver moved until he was standing in front of her. He watched as she clenched and unclenched her hands a few times and took several deep breaths. For the briefest of moments he thought she might be about to hit him and in a way was disappointed when she didn't.

Felicity breathed out a nervous, sighing laugh and reached towards Oliver. Taking his right wrist in both her hands she began to pull his arm towards her.

Oliver tensed the muscles in his arm, stopping any forward momentum the moment he realised that Felicity wanted to place his hand about her neck. 'Felicity don't ask me to –'

' _Oliver!_ ' Felicity raised her voice to drown out any protest he might have been about to make. 'Did it cross your mind that I'm not doing this for you?' she waited until he stopped trying to talk, before taking a deep breath. 'You really scared me down there. I'm still pretty scared and I don't want to feel that way about you.' Felicity tried to smile and failed. 'So you _are_ going to do this, we need to do this for both of us, okay?'

Oliver gave Felicity the smallest of nods and relaxed his arm. He watched her eyes widen slightly as she realised he had given her complete control over what happened next.

Felicity blinked, eyes flicking up to Oliver's face. When he nodded again, she placed his hand around her throat. With one hand she pressed his fingers tighter before dropping both hands to her sides; only to suddenly reach up to grab at his wrist again. Oliver assumed that was so she could keep control, that she could break his hold whenever she wanted to.

Oliver could feel the rapid flutter of her pulse under his fingers, 'Breathe, Felicity' he instructed her, 'just breathe.'

Felicity closed her eyes and Oliver felt her pulse begin to slow. 'Will we get through this?' he whispered.

Felicity patted Oliver's hand, 'We can get through anything, together.'

Oliver's lips twitched into a small smile, which quickly dropped away at Felicity's next words.

'What was the dream about?'

'Felicity,' he warned her.

Felicity opened her eyes and looked at Oliver. 'I know you don't like talking about these things, actually you don't like talking about anything, but I've been told it helps. A trouble shared, trouble halved, sort of thing. Besides,' she tapped his hand holding her throat again, 'I kinda need the distraction.'

Oliver sighed. 'Interesting interrogation technique, Ms Smoak, have you used that before?' he watched as several expressions flitted across Felicity's face.

'What do you mean?'

'Using the fact that I hurt you to put me in a position where I have to answer your question.'

Felicity tried to look innocent, 'Do you feel like you have to answer the question?'

'Do I?'

'Well,' Felicity indicated Oliver's hand about her throat.

Oliver sighed through his nose.

'You might as well tell me, I'm a hocker.' Felicity said. Noting Oliver's quizzical expression she elaborated. 'Hocker, it's Yiddish,' she shrugged, 'basically it means I'm going to nag you until you give in, so . . .' she drew out the last word.

'We were on the island,' Oliver began.

'Wait, we?'

Oliver could feel Felicity's pulse jump.

'You dream about me? Was it a good dream, no wait if we were on the island that can't be good, right? Don't tell me I was on a landmine again? I wasn't naked was I? Because that's not fair, I don't always dream about you naked.' A look of horror crossed Felicity's face. 'Not that I dream about you naked, or at all. I just said I did both, didn't I?'

Oliver tried to keep a straight face as he nodded.

'You can't blame me,' Felicity continued, 'you're always working out half naked; it's not a stretch to think of the rest. You know, mister, I think I have a fair case for sexual harassment in the workplace. Oh,' Felicity closed her eyes. 'Why do I do this? Can we just blame the alcohol? Vodka is evil!'

Felicity's ramblings got the better of Oliver and he began to laugh, quietly. 'Do you do that deliberately?'

Felicity sighed, 'Oliver you know I have no control over what comes out of my mouth.'

'I'm not complaining.'

Felicity hummed and tilted her head to the left. 'Neither am I.'

Oliver realised that he had been gently rubbing the bruises on Felicity's throat with his thumb, as if through his actions he could erase them. Oliver had to clear his throat before he could speak. 'When I was little, my mom used to kiss my bruises better.'

'Now, _that's_ something to dream about.' Felicity opened one eye, 'Please tell me I didn't say that out loud?'

Smoothing any expression off his face Oliver asked, 'What?'

Felicity opened her other eye and stared at Oliver for a moment. 'So we were on the island, clothed I assume?'

Oliver nodded, deciding to not mention the fact he was shirtless in his dream, 'Disappointed?'

Felicity pursed her lips, 'Maybe, then what happened? I mean you sounded pretty upset when you called out downstairs. There was another landmine again, wasn't there, did I make it?'

'Felicity, are you going to keep interrupting me?'

Felicity freed one hand from Oliver's wrist and mimed zipping her mouth shut and turning a key.

'You didn't die, I did.' Oliver watched as Felicity's eyes widened at his words. 'I died because you shot me.' Felicity looked like she was about to explode if she didn't say something soon. 'Okay,' Oliver nodded at her, 'out with it.'

'Are you kidding me, I shot you? Why would I do that?'

'Because, I wouldn't kill for you.' Oliver let his hand fall from Felicity's neck as she jerked her head back in surprise.

'Why would you want to do that?'

'I don't, but in my dream you put me on that island to turn me into a weapon. My father's notebook was a list of your enemies; enemies that you had me kill.'

'No!' Felicity clapped a hand over her mouth in shock before quickly dropping it again to speak. 'I was the bad guy?' she watched as Oliver nodded. 'So you're telling me that when you dream about me its as some sort of Evil Felicity?'

'No,' Oliver stopped when he realised he might have implied that he dreamt about Felicity more than once. 'I mean –'

Does this Darth Felicity have a lightsabre, minions,' Felicity asked, gesturing wildly with her hands, 'tell me she at least wore some sort of sexy black leather catsuit.'

'Don't put ideas in my – minions?'

Felicity sighed. 'Little yellow guys in blue overalls from _Despicable Me_ , Oliver, you told me you watched it with Thea a few months ago.'

'I might have slept through it.' Oliver placed his hands on Felicity's shoulders. 'I don't think of you as evil, it was just a dream.'

Felicity nodded, ' _Just a dream._ A dream that I interrupted and you overreacted to, so stop beating yourself up over what happened after.'

Realisation suddenly hit Oliver, 'All that talk about lightsabres and minions, that was just you trying to tell me how ridiculous my dream was, wasn't it?'

Felicity rolled her eyes. 'Foiled, you saw through my evil plan.'

'I'm sorry,' Oliver whispered as he gently brushed the back of his fingers over Felicity's cheek.

Felicity leant into Oliver's caress. 'Apology accepted.'

They both stood like that for a minute before Felicity leaned back and looked up at Oliver. 'You know I learned two things about you today.'

Oliver looked a little worried at what Felicity might say next. 'Oh?'

'One, you have a lousy imagination.'

'And two?'

Felicity placed a hand on Oliver's shoulder and stood up on her toes to whisper in his ear. 'You dream about me.'

Like a flower turning to the sun, Oliver closed his eyes and leant towards Felicity; his stubbled cheek brushing her chin. 'I don't deserve you,' he murmured.

It wasn't until he felt the warm breath of Felicity's laughter against his ear that Oliver realised he had spoken out loud.

Dropping back onto her heels Felicity took a step back. 'Finally,' she threw her head back and addressed the ceiling, 'he gets it.'

'I mean,' Oliver hurried to clarify, 'what's the Arrow without his Super GeekGirl?'

'True,' Felicity pushed her glasses up her nose, 'and his Kickass Bodyguard. Speaking of which you owe Diggle an apology too.'

Oliver opened his mouth then shut it again when Felicity pointed a finger at him.

'A proper apology,' she said, 'that doesn't involve hitting each other with sticks.'

Oliver sighed and shook his head, 'Fine.'

'Good,' Felicity turned on her heels and began heading towards the basement door. 'I'll tell Dig and you can bring the drinks,' she said.

'Drinks?'

Stopping Felicity looked over her shoulder, 'One bottle of red wine. I'm not drinking any more of that –' Felicity waved her hand towards the bottle of vodka. 'And it better be the good stuff, mister.'

Oliver smiled at Felicity. 'Good stuff, it is.' He was rewarded with a big smile.

As Oliver picked up the vodka and headed behind the bar he faintly heard Felicity yelling downstairs.

'Oliver's okay, Dig, and I didn't even have to hit him.'

Snorting at Felicity's words Oliver picked up two bottles of wine, trying to decide between the two. Making his decision he tucked one bottle and the vodka under one arm, scooping up three glasses with the other. Remembering at the last moment to flick off the overhead lights Oliver hesitated in the doorway his back to the darkened night club.

Behind him was a dark and lonely place, full of lost dreams and ghosts of friends past. Before him was the light; echoing up was the faint rumble of Dig's voice, quickly followed by high pitched laughter from Felicity. Oliver might have started his crusade all alone. If it hadn't been for Diggle and Felicity he was certain he would be dead long ago and not just because of their medical assistance. No, it was their friendship, their belief in him that sustained Oliver through every injury, every trial and every setback.

Nightmares were fleeting, quickly banished by light and laughter. Friendship, on the other hand, the right kind; overcame any obstacle no matter how dark. Oliver walked down into the light.


End file.
